Beverage dispensing valve

Abstract

A beverage dispensing valve for pressurized beverages having a faucet portion, a rear portion having a flow control and a check valve portion fluidly connecting the faucet and rear portions enabling removal of the faucet portion while the rear and check valve portions are under pressure; the check valve portion has a check valve which is actuatable by a valve element in the faucet for dispensing of beverage and may have structure for adjusting the flow control in the rear portion.

I claim as my invention: 
     
       1. A beverage dispensing valve having connected flow control and faucet portions which are separable while the flow control portion is under pressure, comprising a. a flow control housing having an elongated cylindrical passageway with an inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage;   b. a flow control member axially movable in the passageway for controlling the rate of flow of beverage therethrough;   c. a normally closed check valve having a seat and a reciprocable plunger valve which are in and which normally close the passageway, and which are both axially co-movable with the flow control member, said check valve having therein means for positioning the flow control member during flow of beverage through the passageway; and   d. a faucet having 1. a normally closed reciprocable valve member which when opened operatively engages the plunger valve and opens the check valve for flow of beverage therethrough; and   2. adjustment means for simultaneously axially adjusting the position of the check valve and the flow control member in the passageway for adjusting the rate of flow of beverage, the faucet and adjustment means being separable from the flow control portion while the flow control is under pressure, with the check valve remaining in the flow control position for precluding flow of beverage during such separation.     
     
     
       2. A beverage dispensing valve according to claim 1, in which the flow control member and the check valve seat and check valve plunger are axially removable from a downstream end of the passageway, and the passageway has therein at its downstream end a keeper for retaining the flow control member and check valve seat in the passageway upon separation of the facuet from the flow control portion, said keeper being removable from said flow control portion. 
     
     
       3. A beverage dispensing valve according to claim 1, in which the check valve seat is an apertured annular valve seat facing the flow control member with the reciprocable plunger check valve being normally on the valve seat, the plunger check valve having an upstream end between the check valve seat and the flow control member, said upstream end being reciprocable off the valve seat and into a pocket on the downstream side of the flow control member during opening of the check valve, there being an annular beverage passageway outside of and around the flow control member and the upstream end of the plunger valve to the valve seat, there being a spring between the plunger valve and the flow control member for biasing the plunger valve against the seat, said spring being enclosed by the flow control member pocket and the plunger valve. 
     
     
       4. A check valve for a beverage dispensing valve of the type having separable front and rear portions initially removably secured to each other with the rear portion having an elongate axially adjustable rate of flow control member and an inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage and means for retaining the front portion to said rear portion, the front portion having a faucet with a valve and a retention structure complemental to and retainable by said retaining means for the retention of the front portion to the rear portion, said check valve being mountable between the front and rear portions and having a. a housing;   b. means for connecting said housing fluid tightly to the rear portion, said connecting means including a retention structure on an upstream end of the housing, said housing retention structure being substantially identical to that retention structure on the front portion;   c. means on a downstream end of the housing for retaining the front portion fluid tightly to said housing, said retaining means on said housing being substantially identical to said retaining means on the rear portion;   d. a check valve element in said housing enabling removal of the front portion from said housing while the rear portion and said housing are connected and under pressure; and   e. means in said housing for axially positioning the flow control member in the rear portion.   
     
     
       5. A check valve for a beverage dispensing valve of the type having separable front and rear portions initially removably secured to each other with the rear portion having an adjustable rate of flow control and an inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage, the front portion having a faucet with a valve and means for adjusting the rear portion rate of flow control and means for opening the check valve, said check valve being mountable between the front and rear portions and having a. a housing;   b. means for connecting said housing fluid tightly to the rear portion;   c. means for retaining the front portion fluid tightly to said housing;   d. a check valve element in said housing enabling removal of the front portion from said housing while the rear portion and said housing are connected and under pressure, said check valve being openable by the front portion valve; and   e. means in said housing for operatively connecting the flow control adjusting means in the front portion to the rate of flow control in the rear portion.   
     
     
       6. A check valve according to claim 5, in which the flow control connecting means comprises a tubular sleeve which is axially movable within the housing and the passageway, for holding the flow control member in a pre-adjusted position against a flow of beverage. 
     
     
       7. A check valve according to claim 6, in which the housing has therein a keeper for retaining the slidable tubular sleeve in the housing when the housing and sleeve are under pressure. 
     
     
       8. A check valve according to claim 6, including an axially slidable seal ring fluid tightly sealing the tubular sleeve and the housing to each other. 
     
     
       9. A beverage dispensing valve comprising a. a rear portion having 1. an elongated passageway for flow of beverage therethrough,   2. a passageway inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage,   3. an elongate flow control member within the passageway, the member being axially positionally adjustable for controlling the rate of flow of beverage through the passageway, and   4. means for retaining a front faucet portion on an outlet of the passageway;     b. a front portion forming a faucet and having 1. a faucet body retainable to the rear portion by said faucet retaining means,   2. a normally closed plunger valve in the faucet body, said plunger valve being reciprocable to an open position in which said plunger is effective for engaging and opening a normally closed check valve positioned between the front portion plunger valve and the rear portion, and   3. an actuator for reciprocating the plunger valve; and     c. a check valve removably retained to both of the rear portion and the front faucet portion, said check valve being between the rear portion and front faucet portion and having 1. a housing removably retained to the rear portion by said faucet retaining means,   2. a check valve seat in the housing,   3. a reciprocable check valve plunger element normally seated against and closing the valve seat, said check valve plunger element being reciprocably movable off of said seat by said faucet plunger valve upon the opening of said faucet plunger valve,     
     
     
       4. means in said housing for adjusting the axial position of the flow control member in the rear portion, and 5. means for retaining said front faucet portion to said check valve, said front faucet portion being retained to said check valve housing by said retaining means on said check valve, both of said retaining means being similar to each other and interchangeably operable for retaining said front faucet portion to either of said rear portions or said check valve in an operative beverage dispensing position.   
     
     
       10. A beverage dispensing valve comprising a. a rear portion having 1. an elongated passageway for flow of beverage therethrough,   2. a passageway inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage,   3. an elongate flow control member within the passageway, the member being axially positionally adjustable for controlling the rate of flow of beverage through the passageway, and   4. means for retaining a valve on an outlet of the passgeway;     b. a check valve fluidly connected to the outlet of the passageway and having 1. a housing retained to the rear portion by the valve connecting means,   2. a check valve seat in the housing,   3. a check valve plunger element reciprocably mounted in the housing,   4. an elastomeric seating member mounted on the check valve plunger element, said seating member being normally seated against said check valve seat for closing the check valve,   5. means for axially positioning the flow control member, and   6. means for retaining a faucet to the check valve; and     c. a front portion forming a faucet and having   
     
     
       1. a faucet body retained to the check valve housing by the faucet retaining means, 2. a normally closed reciprocable plunger valve element in the body, which plunger valve element when reciprocated to an open position is operative for engaging and opening the normally closed check valve,   3. an actuator for reciprocating the front portion plunger valve element, and   4. an elastomeric seating member mounted on the front portion plunger valve element and being normally seated against a faucet valve seat for closing the faucet, both of said seating members being substantially identical to each other and interchangeable one for another.   
     
     
       11. A beverage dispensing valve comprising a. a rear portion having 1. an elongated passageway for flow of beverage therethrough,   2. a passageway inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage,   3. an elongate flow control member within the passageway and having a concave pocket at a downstream end thereof, said member being axially positionally adjustable for controlling the rate of flow of beverage through the passageway, and   4. means for retaining a valve on an outlet of the passageway;     b. a check valve fluidly connected to the outlet of the passageway and having 1. a housing retained to the rear portion by the valve retaining means,   2. a check valve seat in the housing,   3. a normally closed reciprocable check valve plunger element in the valve seat,     
     
     
       4. a cylindrical spring guide on an upstream side of said check valve plunger element, said guide being reciprocably movable into said flow control pocket upon opening of the check valve, 5. means for axially positioning the flow control member, and   6. means for retaining a faucet to the check valve;   c. a spring mounted within the guide and the flow control pocket, and reactively between the flow control and check valve plunger element for biasing the check valve plunger element against the check valve seat, and   d. a front portion forming a faucet and having 1. a faucet body retained to the housing by the faucet retaining means,   2. a normally closed reciprocable plunger valve element in the body, which when reciprocated and opened is operative for engaging and opening the normally closed check valve, and,   3. an actuator for reciprocating the front portion plunger valve element.     
     
     
       12. A beverage dispensing valve comprising a. a rear portion having 1. an elongated passageway for flow of beverage therethrough,   2. a passageway inlet for being connected to a source of pressurized beverage,   3. an elongate flow control member within the passageway, the member being axially positionally adjustable for controlling the rate of flow of beverage through the passageway, and   4. means for retaining a valve on an outlet of the pasageway;     b. a check valve fluidly connected to the outlet of the passageway and having   
     
     
       1. a housing retained to the rear portion by the valve retaining means, 2. a check valve seat in the housing,   3. a normally closed reciprocable check valve plunger element in the valve seat,   4. a tubular sleeve axially slidably mounted within the housing, said sleeve being in physical engagement with the flow control member for co-movement therewith, and   5. means for retaining a faucet on the check valve housing; and   c. a front portion forming a faucet and having 1. a faucet body retained to the housing by the faucet retaining means,   2.a normally closed reciprocable plunger valve element in the body, which when reciprocated and opened is operative for engaging and opening the normally closed check valve,   3. and actuator for reciprocating the front portion plunger valve element, and   4. adjustment means for simultaneously axially moving both the tubular sleeve and the flow control member, for adjusting a rate of flow of beverage through the dispensing valve.     
     
     
       13. A beverage dispensing valve according to claim 12, in which the check valve seat is within and is a portion of the axially slidable tubular sleeve, said check valve seat and reciprocable plunger valve being adjustably co-movable with the flow control member upon adjusting operation of the adjustment means in the front faucet portion. 
     
     
       14. A beverage dispensing valve according to claim 12 in which the faucet body has therein the means for adjusting the flow control member and the flow control member has a complementary adjustment means engager configuration on its downstream end for engaging the adjusting means, the tubular sleeve spacing apart and being positioned between and in engagement with both the flow control member and the adjustment means, the tubular sleeve having a downstream end with an adjustment means engager similar to and the equivalent of that of the flow control member with said downstream end being in engagement with the adjustment means, the tubular sleeve also having an upstream end engaging the adjustment means engager of the flow control member and connecting the adjustment means to the flow control member via the axially movable tubular sleeve. 
     
     
       15. A beverage dispensing valve according to claim 14, in which the upstream end of the slidable tubular sleeve has a number of spaced apart protuberances engaging the adjustment means engager of the flow control for holding the flow control member in an adjusted position against any flow of beverage, said protuberances also providing an annular passageway for flow of beverage between the downstream end of the flow control member and the tubular member.